Mama Bessie's Nest

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Whenever anyone found a homeless hatchling in Swallow Hollow, they knew
where to take it. It went to Mama Bessie’s nest. It didn’t matter if
the orphan was a lark, gull, swallow, or blue jay, Mama Bessie would
raise it as her own. Some chicks stayed with Mama Bessie only until
their parents found them again. Others grew up and started families of
their own. But one day, finally, after having given more than a hundred
chicks shelter under her wings, Mama Bessie knew that she was now too
old to take in any more homeless hatchlings. But she didn’t have to
close the nest: one of Mama Bessie’s special orphans, Jenny Wren, took
over and now homeless hatchlings are brought to Mama Jenny’s nest.

This tale is a tribute to a real-life Mama Bessie, Mrs. Bessie McLean,
who fostered more than 100 children in Kent County, Ontario. The story
and artwork are both by Jackie Garlick. Garlick’s black-and-white
sketches have a sweet, humorous touch. The story is equally cute but
slightly marred by a three-page digression about how Mama Bessie once
defied public opinion by providing foster care for a baby duck. The
reader is not told why this was controversial, so the incident comes
across as an inside story that excludes any reader who did not know the
real Mama Bessie. Recommended with reservations.